Perhaps Love?
by angelofsweetness
Summary: AU. It was arranged. It was for my mother. Nothing out of the ordinary was supposed to happen. Then you stepped in with your stuck up attitude and bossy character and disgusting manners and- will you stop looking at me with those sexy eyes? SoraKairi
1. Two Become One

_**Perhaps Love?**_

**Sora** x _Kairi_

Chapter 1: Two Become One

* * *

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump_

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we are pleased to present a very special award to a very special student out of many well-achieved candidates."_

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump_

"_This award is presented to the student whom is perfect in every aspect this school has ever seen. Grades, discipline, self-presentation, image, reputation and involvement in curricular activities."_

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump_

"_Without further adieu, the award for Student Of The Year goes to…"_

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump_

"_Miss Kairi Minami!"_

_Applause was heard. Cheers from every corner were shouted in my ears as my brain slowly progressed the fact that I, Kairi Minami, had just achieved what I had worked hard for during my years I studied in this god for saken school. My heart was still in an adrenaline state, it's rate hadn't stooped at all. I felt fingers digging themselves onto my arm as I was forcefully pulled up and was walking robotically towards the stage where the principal was awaiting my arrival with a proud grin on his lips and the shiny (God, it was shiny!) trophy grasped firmly in between his fingers._

_I carefully made my way up those small steps and could practically feel the smooth surface of the golden statue on my fingertips. My eyes couldn't get enough of it. That little modal of gold was proof of my hard work. MINE! Hah, I showed 'em. I showed them all! I proved that all my work doing the principal's errands, being a good class president, counseling the bullied victims, helping the jocks increase their grades to a D, cleaning the school grounds (which sadly included the boys toilet, ugh!) and saving the school eco-system. Yes, I bloody well deserved this trophy. Yes, siree. _

_There is absolutely nothing that could ruin this perfect moment. Nothing._

"_Oh-… wait a minute… oh my, I'm sorry!"_

_What? Why are you saying sorry now? What HAPPENED?_

"_My sincerest apologies everybody but there's been a slight mistake."_

_WHAT? How could there be a mistake now? How! _

"_It seems I made a mistake. I accidentally called out the wrong name. Haha! Silly me!"_

_Wha-what…? Wr-wrong name? I-I-I… didn't win?_

"_The real receiver of this award is… Sora Hikari!"_

_S-SORA? WHA-WHAT! Oh no! Please no! Anyone but him! Please! Even the janitor would be fine, dear Lord, but not HIM!_

_A soft pat was felt on my shoulder and a warm hand rested there. I slowly turned my head to glare at this person who was ruining my angry mode and was face to face with the devil himself. A prideful smirk perfectly marked on his face (oh how I wish I could rip that disgusting smirk off his disgusting face and dip it into disgusting crap!) and his eyes beheld that look that practically screamed 'You just got humiliated in front of thousands of people which is an added bonus beside my shiny award that you thought was yours seconds ago but it rightfully belongs to me because I'm a pigheaded baboon with nine tails that thinks he's so amazingly great with hair that resembles a dead porcupine and smell worse than a baby's diaper after he finishes his business!'_

_Okay, I may have exaggerated a bit but who cares! _

"_It's okay, redhead," he commented slyly, still showing off his smirk. "You were a great opponent. Too bad I'm the kind that feels pity to people I like. I would console you now over your loss of that shiny trophy but I think doing that would just waste my time which I should be spending with that golden baby over there so if you could excuse me."_

_If I had a gun right now, I would shoot his head and cut it off then feed it to the hungry tigers in Africa! GAH!_

"_Oh and Kairi," I hate how he says my name. HATE IT! "Nice bra. The black actually suits you."_

_My mouth gasped wide open as I looked down and noticed my bra sticking out brightly over my thin shirt. I had stupidly forgotten to wear my coat that I had left at my seat before standing up to go to the stage! I could hear Sora laughing, his cackles surrounding me as it was followed by others laughing maniacally to my humiliation. I fell to my knees, tears began forming and my hands automatically covered my face in shame. I tried to drown their chuckles, anything to ignore the pain and utter shame I was currently feeling._

_Shut up…_

"_Aww, is KaiKai gonna cry?" His voice forever taunting me. "God, you were always a baby."_

_Shut up…_

"_Just accept that I'm better than you in everything, redhead. Kiss the ground I walk because you'll never be above me. Never."_

_Shut up…_

"_Remember my name, Kairi Minami, because it will always be called before yours. Always!"_

_Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!_

"Kairi Minami, if you don't wake up right now, you are forbidden to use my credit card at any cost! Ya hear me!"

A grunt softly came after that threat, soft breathing coming out in snores and rustling on the bed filled the room. The white clouds of her mural on her bedroom ceiling slowly came to focus as she tried to wipe her drowsiness away with the edge of her palm. She threw back her floral quilt, her whole body still numb from her reckless sleep. She was wide awake now but the nagging feeling deep in her heart prevented her from being a responsible student and get ready for school.

_Another nightmare, another beauty sleep ruined. He even haunts me in my sleep… I HATE HIM!_

"Kairi! Final warning! I seriously will hide my credit card away and you will never see it! Never!"

The redhead groaned and forced her body upright, her auburn locks pointing in many directions as her fingers smoothed them down temporarily. She edged to the side of her bed, slid on her bunny slippers and groggily made her way towards her window. Her pink curtains was once a barrier between her room and the bright sunlight but it was soon lit up as she pulled apart the décor and was immediately blinded by the sun's rays.

One thing Kairi liked most about her bedroom view was that she could see the whole district. Her neighborhood was a warm one, everybody familiar with each other and many events held which was widely celebrated with every single person whom lived there. She knew _everyone_ and which house they lived in – Paper Boy, house with apple tree, Mrs. White, house which always smells like pie, Mr. Flounder, house which always had a neat lawn, you get the idea. Kairi always made it a habit where she would visit every neighbor at least once every month. If there was one thing she prioritized in her life, it would be her social skills.

There was one house she hated though. Not because of its inhabitants, just one in particular and as though God wanted to test her, it had to be beside her house.

The Hikari's. Nice people. A family of four that was always sociable and kind to everyone. Mr. Hikari was a business man and was always out of the house by 6.30 a.m. He was a polite person but Kairi had never had a conversation with him that lasted over 5 minutes but she respected him. Mrs. Hikari was a different person altogether. Not only was she beautiful and sweet and kind, she was also an excellent cook. Her prepared dishes would always be delicious and she would invite neighbors occasionally for meals or tea just so that they could taste her amazing cooking.

Their first daughter, Olette Hikari was a future Dawn (its standard is as high as Yale or Harvard) student. She had everything. Looks, grades, personality and popularity. Everyone at Twilight Academy knows Olette. Just mention her name and guys would fawn over her whilst girls would sigh on how they wish to be just like her. Kairi admired Olette just as any of her fans but one thing that ruined Olette's image to her was one thing. Actually, it was more of a person. No, that wasn't even close to right. Spawn of devil suits it better.

Sora Hikari. The cause of all her misery and pain. He was the youngest member of the Hikari's and the bad apple among them all. He was her age, her class and happened to be her neighbor. They had met when Kairi was five and she had a birthday party. Her dad, trying to be the enthusiastic father of the year, decided to invite everyone in the neighborhood as he thought (as quoted by him) 'Kairi bunny! It'll be good for you! You'll make new friends and you won't be so lonely anymore! This will be fun. YAY!'

But it was the start of her real life _hell_. As soon as the Hikari's introduced their only son to her, her nightmare began. Not only did he dip her pigtails into a bucket filled with worms, he pushed her from the bouncing castle and put mud on her chocolate cake which she ate by accident. And thus, their rivalry began. Every single year, they somehow would always end up in the same class and it was _torture_ for poor Kairi. He would find any way to bring her down whether it be by insulting her in front of other students or by beating her in every single thing she had a passion for.

Now, at age nineteen, Kairi was determined to beat him instead. Since it was her senior year in Twilight Academy, she only had one more year to prove that she could be better than Sora Hikari. She could beat him at his own game. She could be number one for once instead of number two. No, not could. _Would._

As Kairi continued gazing to the scenery outside her window, the sound of a car starting diverted her attention to Mr. Aladdin who had just pulled out of his driveway. _That's funny, Mr. Aladdin doesn't go to work until sev-AH! I'm late! NO!_ She quickly rushed to the bathroom and started doing her morning preparations. Since Kairi was never a good multitasker, everything she did at once was just ruined. Her hair had toothpaste stuck at the ends, her comb stuck between her hair due to tangles, her school uniform worn backwards, her socks didn't match and she had a small zit on her forehead.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

"I told you so, Kairi Bunny!" called a voice from downstairs, satisfaction could be heard straining in his voice. "This is what happens when you wake up late and ignore my credit card threat!"

_Heehee, it always works like a charm, haha!_

* * *

"Boy Kairi, you look like a whirlwind ran over your face or something."

"If you're trying to be comforting or an enthusiastic friend Selphie, you're not really doing a good job. Take lessons from Namié."

A brunette girl giggled as she accompanied her friend who was still in an early morning cranky mood. Kairi huffed as she pushed her bangs in front in hope it would conceal her face blemish that so happened to pop on her forehead where everybody could see. Although it did hide a part of it, anyone with a sharp eye (namely the porcupine-haired baboon who lives to torture her) could make it out and expose it's blemish-y yuckiness.

"Don't worry, Kai. It's barely noticeable," cooed Selphie, hoping to lighten her best friend's mood. "I'll fix you up before first period. You know I never go anywhere without my portable mini make-up kit!"

The redhead giggled and nodded in gratification to the bubbly girl beside her as the two made their way as fast as they could to Twilight Academy. Kairi heaved a deep sigh and looked up, noticing the large brass bell that was located in the school's west tower even from afar. That was always the first glimpse of the academy she would see every morning she walked.

Twilight Academy was a rather prestigious school. It was the best educational facility for any budding student that wished to do well in life and enroll in the best college Twilight Town provided – preferably Dawn. Although it was prestigious, it wasn't really expensive. Some students received a scholarship to the school for their remarkable performance in middle school and wasn't required to pay for anything except the uniform and extra curricular classes.

Of course, Kairi was one of the students. Which was one of the many reasons she wasn't recognized much at the academy. Most people would know her as the infamous teacher's pet considering her eagerness to help teachers and the principal at all times. She wasn't an outcast but she wasn't miss popularity either. She wasn't a loner – she was perfectly happy having two very _amazing_ friends – and she did socialize with the school's status quo equally. Even if she thought the cheerleaders and the jocks were a little on the 'no brain' side, she still hung out and discussed school dance ideas or events that needed their opinion.

People also knew Kairi as to be the daughter of one of the brightest students in Twilight Academy. Her mother. At certain times, Kairi wondered whether the reason she got her scholarship was not because of her own excellent grades but her mother's excellent results when she was a student there. The principal had been close to her mother, that was another fact to take count. Her friends had cheered her up and said it really was her own hardwork and not her mothers but she still couldn't shake off that nagging feeling that she would always somehow be shadowed by her mother, even when she wasn't there to tower over her.

"Kairi! Selphie! Wait for me!"

The two girls stopped in their tracks as they waited for their blonde friend to join their stroll to school. Naminé beamed at them as she clutched her sketchbook firmly in between her arms and walked beside Kairi. "Morning Namié," greeted Kairi and swiftly stole a bite out of Naminé's blueberry muffin which was clutched in one of her hands. The blonde merely smiled and offered some of her breakfast to her brunette friend who politely rejected it.

"Sorry Namié but I've just gained two more pounds. I'm staying away from food for a week."

"Selphie," scolded Kairi, going in her maternal mode. "How many times do we have to tell you, you look fine! Don't go on that stupid diet. It's not even a diet! It's starvation!"

Selphie scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You eat like _five_ meals a day which consists mainly of fats and yet you still stay thin! You gotta tell me your secret Kai!"

Naminé giggled to this comment which she hid with a cough. "Her only secret, Selph, is she has a high metabolism. Either that or she's been silently visiting the gym five times a day without telling us!" Kairi stuck out her tongue childishly to her friends and the trio burst into a fit of laughter as they continued walking to the academy, arm in arm.

* * *

Twilight Academy was always a busy place. Every single second, students would be bustling through hallways and corridors, lockers would be opened or locked with the sounds of the whirls of the combination soaring around, chitter chatter filled the area – eagerly discussing classes, dissing teachers or just plain gossiping. Each student with their own click, each with their own gang, each with their own kind.

Kairi gripped her backpack with an annoyed scowl on her face. It only took being in school for roughly a minute and already two jocks and a nerd had noticed her stupid pimple and had laughed at it (the nerd didn't laugh but he tried to get a closer look which resulted in Kairi punching him unconscious). _God, why! Why! Why me? Why couldn't it be someone who doesn't have a life! Why did you choose me!_

She turned right whilst playing with her bangs and due to her unfocused attention, she managed to make a fool of herself again by bumping into something. Or rather, some_one_. Textbooks fell to the ground and papers floated gently as they joined the books on the floor. Kairi hid behind her hair as she tried to hide her blush. _Great, first I have a huge pimple that's just as big as Abraham Lincoln's mole and now I knock down someone! You're just not having a good day, are ya Kairi? Sheesh!_

"I'm so sorry! I-I didn't see you," stammered as the redhead began collecting the books and papers. She heard a soft chuckle which immediately caused her to stop dead in her motions. _That chuckle, it's sexy. I know it!_ Bracing herself, she slowly raised her head and was eye to eye with dazzling and electrifying emerald eyes that pierced right through her and trapped her in their pools of green.

Axel Misaki. The hottest boy she had ever seen. Ever since they had shared an umbrella one rainy day during her freshman year, she had fallen head over heels in love with the redheaded jock. She remembered it well…

"_**Come on dad! Where are you?" scowled Kairi, clutching her pink umbrella tightly as the rain got heavier by the minute. She was currently standing alone at the Bus Stand, the wind blowing raindrops on her face and making her hair have a mind of its own. She glowered as she attempted to straighten her locks but only made it worse so she just stopped after the first minute. People of all ages ran back and forth in front of her – holding umbrellas of various colors and sizes or wrapping themselves even more in their coats. **_

_**She bit her lip and shivered, the cold wind making her wish she was at home with a mug of hot chocolate in her bathtub filled with hot water and bubbles. **__Darn rain, if I get a cold, I will hunt you down and make sure the sun pierces your evil cloudy body and make sure you never come down again! And dad, you're next on my list! How dare you come late when it's a raining day! Why of all days, today you decided to be fashionably late! Why!_

"_**E-Excu-cuse m-me…"**_

_**Clenching her teeth in anger and annoyance, she prepared a series of insults and scolding to yell to the dude that had ruined her raging tantrum towards her father and turned to punch the guy (no one makes Kairi mad when she's annoyed, they'd be sure to leave with a black eye) but instead, she was met with the most amazing and exotic eyes she had ever seen. He was tall and a little built, his arms were incredibly long. His spiky red hair was a little droopy thanks to the rain and his outfit (which looked like a basketball uniform at first glance) was drenched wet. **_

_**But the one thing that made Kairi so entranced by this beautiful stranger was his eyes. She had never seen such deep and lovely green irises. They just had this magic where she was immune to everything around – she didn't even shiver from the cold anymore. They snaked around her like a vine and made her stuck to the spot, slowly suffocating her with their emerald gaze. **_

"_**I-I'm so-sorry if I-I botheri-ring yo-you but I-I wa-wanted to ask i-if I-I co-could sha-share yo-your umbre-brella wi-with you?" Poor thing, he was so cold until he was shivering to the bone. It doesn't take a genius to know why he was cold, the dude was wearing a bloody sleeveless shirt with short baggy shorts! At first, the redhead couldn't find her voice. He was still smothering her with his tentative look (those eyes, damnit, those eyes!) but she slowly regained her composure, blinking a few times and licked her lips slowly to answer his question.**_

"_**O-Of course you can," **__Smooth, Kairi. That's it, don't stutter too much__**. "I mean, this umbrella can fit t-two people I guess."**_

_**He smirked at her. **__God, even his smirk is sexy__**! He inched closer to her and shielded himself from the droplets pouring down. It was getting lighter and it wasn't as cold but somehow, Kairi found him moving closer and closer to her. She didn't want to be bigheaded so she ignored it but after a few minutes, they were practically shoulder to shoulder. Well, not exactly. Her shoulder was on his upper arm. Damn, he was tall! Her breathing began to come out in puffs as her heart beat gained pace.**_

_**He smelled nice. A mixture of cologne with something that smelled like roses. Even though that was a little girly, Kairi found it made him even more irresistible. **__Wh-why am I blushing? Stop blushing! You don't even know the guy's name, for God's sake! Don't be such a love struck bimbo! AH!_

_**After five minutes and forty-five seconds (She wanted to treasure every precious second) later, the rain stopped completely and the sun was beginning to break through the dim sky – lighting up the area. He stepped out of the umbrella (No please! Don't go!) and ruffled his hair thoroughly, allowing the droplets resting in his hair to be shaken off. Kairi found it was still stupid of her to have the umbrella so she shook it too then closed it tight. **__Now's your chance, Kairi! Ask his name, his number, his secrets, his family, his ex-girlfriends, his school, his friends, his likes and dislikes, every single detail!_

"_**U-Um, I-I…"**_

"_**Thanks for sharing your umbrella with me!" he grinned, white teeth glistening under the sun's rays. "You just saved me from getting a nasty cold and missing the basketball championship!"**_

_Oh, so he is a basketball player. Explains his outfit and height__**. **_

"_**N-No problem!" Stop stuttering you idiot! "I-It wasn't much."**_

_**He grinned and waved to her goodbye, speeding off to the opposite direction of where her house was situated (which was a slight bummer) and slowly disappearing away from her sight. She heaved a frustrated sigh and hit herself lightly with the tip of her umbrella. **__Stupid, stupid, stupid! You couldn't even ask him a simple question! God, you're stupid! Ow!__** Kairi groaned and rubbed the spot where she accidentally hit herself too hard, feeling even more stupid then she already felt. **_

_**A few days later, Kairi still couldn't forget the emerald-eyed stranger. He somehow had crawled his own way into her mind and she couldn't stop thinking about him. She knew it was pointless because she was never going to see him again but as though God wanted to fate them together, she found out he was in Twilight Academy as well when she saw his picture in the school newspaper. He was a sports major so the chance of being in the same class as him was striked out but she found out he was the Captain of the basketball team and would be staying after school for practice.**_

_**That's usually when Kairi stays back, just to see him practice from afar. His little fans stood at the bleachers, screaming his name and cheering him on but Kairi had never dared herself to talk to him after their umbrella moment. Call her shy but she was afraid he wouldn't remember her. I mean, who does remember someone you shared an umbrella with? It was illogical if he did. So she did what she continued to do until senior year, watching him from far and admiring his perfection silently.**_

_**Until now…**_

"Hey!" His voice had gotten a little deeper since their last encounter at the Bus Stand. _Of course, silly, that was like four years ago! Of course he'd had matured! God!_ "I remember you."

Her throat suddenly got dry. "Wha-What?"

"Don't you remember? Pink umbrella? Bus Stand near Twilight's First District?"

Her lips cracked. She suddenly found it hard to breathe. _H-He remembered? Even the place?_

"Isn't that you? Oh, sorry! Must've gotten the wrong person-…"

"No!" she interrupted, surprising him and herself. "Tha-That was me. Hi."

"Hey, it's been years hasn't it," he commented smoothly, a grin still on his lips. He stood up with his books and so did Kairi holding tightly to some of his papers. She was still appalled when knowing he still remembered her clearly, even after four years. Could this be a sign? "I didn't know you were at this school."

"Ye-yeah. I'm in the Arts Department. Ya know, creative writing." She giggled after that and was horrified to hear her laughter to be so bimbo-ish and unnatural. _What is happening to you? You're finally talking to the guy you've been crushing on since 9__th__ Grade! Buck up, girl! _

He merely laughed back. "Well, I'm in the-"

"Sport's Department. Yeah, I know…" _Oh_ _my god! Why did I say that? That sounds totally stalker-ish! He's gonna think I'm some kind of freak that follows him around and watches his every movement and knows his timetable by heart and knows every single update about him! Oh wait… I do know that. OH NO!_

"Wow, guess I'm pretty popular if even you know that. Haha!"

_Come on Kairi, think of a back up plan, think think!_ "W-Well, who doesn't know Axel Misaki, the person who took our school to the Interschool National Basketball Championship and scored the winning basket." _Smooth, nice save!_

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck as though in a nervous manner. He's nervous? That's good! Right? "That's unfair. You know my name and I still don't know the name of the lovely maiden who saved me from the deathly raindrops of evil." Kairi couldn't help but snort laughter to that and soon, the two were laughing as if there was no tomorrow. It actually looked like they were a couple, from an outsider's point of view. As they settled down, Axel grinned and stuck forth his hand in a friendly manner. "I'm Axel. Nice to meet you, Miss…?"

Kairi scoffed and took his hand gently. "There's no miss, thank you very much. Just Kairi. Kairi Minami."

"Kairi, lovely name for a lovely lady such as yourself." _God, how could one guy make me blush THIS much?_ "So, I'll catch you later, Kairi," he continued. _He makes my name sound so much better when he says it. Sighs_. "Come to my practice one day, if you can and we could get to know each other better sometime."

And with those words said, he slowly took his papers from Kairi's grip and walked off, grin etched on his lips and twinkle sparkling in those gorgeous eyes. Kairi was left rooted to the spot with realization slowly forming in her mind. _D-Did Axel Misaki just ask me out? Oh… my… god…_ A wide grin plastered itself onto her face and she couldn't contain her happiness anymore. "AXEL MISAKI ASKED ME OUT! YAY! YES! YES! YES!"

She quickly covered her mouth after that though, thank God everyone was too busy to acknowledge her outburst but she couldn't stop the smile from sticking on her lips. This has got to be the best day ever!

* * *

3 p.m. Time for all the students and teachers to pack their bags, bid their goodbyes and retire home after a long day at school. The bell rung three times, signing the time for the students to leave the school grounds fast or the guard would lock them in and sleeping overnight locked in an academy which was rumored to be built on a graveyard wasn't really Kairi's idea of fun. But she wouldn't even know because she was still gleefully in bliss after this morning's incident.

_I still can't believe he indirectly asked me out! He asked me out! Kyaaaa!!_

Instead of stopping by her locker like normal days to get her books for extra revision at home, she simply made her way through the hallways and out the main exit – finding the sunny day to be extra vibrant than usual. She began making her way home, kicking leaves up in the air along the way just to express how happy she felt. Having the guy you admired for four years unexpectedly give you a hint he's interested would make any girl happy so Kairi thought it wasn't out of character for her to be excited and joyful too.

The walk home was shorter than usual which disappointed Kairi in away. Somehow, when she reaches her house, she would have to put on a brave mask for her father – to show that she wasn't affected in being independent at a young age. Most girls would be learning how to cook or clean at her age but Kairi was doing everything herself. Do her family's laundry, iron them, cook them meals, go grocery shopping, gets the mail, does the gardening and many other errands that would've left a nineteen year old too packed to have her own life.

But the redhead had no choice. Other people had mothers to guide their daughters through life. Kairi had 'lost' her mother when she turned ten. Growing up had to be one of the hardest things for her because whenever she faced any girl problems, she couldn't ask her mother. The only person that could give her advice on boys, studying, being a good girl and staying away from bad habits was gone. Not literally gone. Just spiritually. Her mother's heart may be beating but she was just a cocoon – the butterfly had long left it.

Pushing the front foor open, she was surprised to see a few extra pair of shoes in the shoe rack. Dad probably has some visitors. Better see who they are. Trudging happily to the kitchen, she saw the back of her father's head, cooking furiously over a stove and was fiddling with what looked like a kettle. Kairi laughed, her father was useless in the kitchen. She sneaked silently behind her dad and ever so gently, tapped his shoulder.

"I DIDN'T DO IT! I DIDN'T MEAN TO SPILL WATER ALL OVER THE FLOOR! I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO BOIL WATER! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

"Dad! It's just me!"

Mr.Minami faced his daughter and sighed with relief. "Oh, Kairi, you scared me. You arrived just in time! Tell me how to work this bloody kettle because I can't get the lid to open!" he yelled, pulling at the metal cover to emphasize his point. Kairi raised her eyebrow and shot him the look that said 'This is why you're not allowed in the kitchen because you can't even operate a simple electronic kettle'. Rolling her eyes, she took the kettle roughly from her dad and pressed a button at the back of it which caused the lid to pop open and ready for use.

"See? It's as easy as ABC. You should try it sometime, dad. It's called a b-u-t-t-o-n!"

Mr. Minami blushed with embarassment and took the appliance slowly from his daughter. Kairi realized she was a bit harsh (Forgive the poor old man, he hadn't touched a kettle in years!) so she wrapped her arms around his waist and cuddled closely to him, heaving his wonderful scent. "My silly daddy! This is why I stay in the kitchen while you only come in to eat. Got it?"

"I know, Kairi Bunny. It's just that, we have guests and I want to serve them something!"

"Who are they?"

"The Hikari's."

If she had drank a glass of water at that time, droplets of it would've been forcefully spat out as she looked at her dad with a worried glance. "The Hikari's? What do they want? Please don't tell me Sora's staying over because I am not going to waste my beauty sleep by hearing his rhinocerous snores coming from downstairs!"

"At least it isn't louder than your hippopotamous snore. Man, do I pity your folks for having to hear that every night," came a sly comeback from the kitchen door. Kairi turned to glare at Sora who was currently still wearing his school uniform – minus the tie. "What're you doing here? Unless you don't know, we don't welcome aliens here," she retorted, feeling glad to snap him back.

"I see, that means you're not very welcome here then." Ah! Curse him with his sneaky replies!

"Now now kids, we're all together here for a very important matter. The Hikari's and I have to discuss something with you two," informed Mr. Minami seriously. Kairi looked over at her father and saw his expression so serious. She decided to ignore Sora who was currently pushing himself into her irritation and she was having a hard time keeping it cool for her dad. "Sora," continued Mr. Minami. "Why don't you go sit with your folks in the living room and me and Kai will be there soon."

"Sure thing, Mr. M," came his response and he left the kitchen with one of Kairi's muffins in his hand. He owes me a chocolate chip muffin, that jackass! The kettle whistled, telling them that the water had finished boiling. Kairi grabbed a couple of tea bags from the upper drawer and started making tea for the guests whilst her father was putting a couple of Kairi's baked goods on a plate to serve to them as a light appetizer.

"Dad," called Kairi, her voice straining and soft.

"Yes hun?"

"Is… this about mom?"

Mr. Minami winced softly and gave her a nervous smile before giving her that look that always told Kairi that everything was going to be alright but something horrible will come first. Kairi didn't like that look. It made her even more curious. Finishing the tea, she placed it on a tray along with the sweets then made her way to the living room accompanied by her father.

"Well look who it is," greeted Mrs. Hikari, a sincere smile on her lips. "My, Kairi, you've grown well!"

A scoff came from a certain brunette. "Yeah, grown into a pain in the ass."

"Sora!" exclaimed Mrs. Hikari, appaled by her son's words. Sora gave her a shrug and continue to stare at them from a corner. Mr. Hikari was sitting in front of the table with a paper file in his hands. _Something tells me that whatever's going on has something to do with that file._ The redheaded girl placed the tray on the table and sat down slowly beside her father. Mr. Hikari cleared his throat and placed the file on the table, sliding it over to Mr. Minami who took it as though it were a sacred item.

"Sora, Kairi," Mr. Minami's voice was clear in the silent room. "We have to tell you sommething important. But first, you have to promise me you guys won't overreact or start a tantrum or do anything childish like that. Both of you are nearing adulthood. Behave your age, especially you Kairi." This earned a sneer from Sora and a blush from Kairi.

"Kairi, your grandmother's lawyer came to see me a few days ago," continued Mr. Minami whilst facing his daughter. "He gave me this will where it states your mother is the heir of your grandfather's property and you know how wealthy he is right?" Kairi nodded obediently. She still had no idea where all of this was going. "Well, your mother is not in a rather well state to be the heir, as you can see…" At this, all looked solemnly down. Hearing about Mrs. Minami's condition was like a rain day. It turned everyone down.

"So your grandmother changed your grandfather's will before she passed away. She turned it over to you."

"Me!" exclaimed Kairi, her eyes practically bulging out as her mouth gaped wide open. "I-I'm the new heir? But how? Why? When? What?"

"Calm down, honey," cooed Mr. Minami, holding his daughter's hand. Kairi could feel it shivering against her palm. Why was her father acting this way? Was this bad news? Good news? She still couldn't understand very well. "Yes, you're the heir to your grandfather's property but your grandmother made a rule. And she will only pass down your grandfather's property to you until you have fulfilled this rule, understand?"

"Yeah dad, what's the rule?" asked Kairi impatiently, curious to know what was going on.

Mr. Minami looked to his friend whom gave him a nod in response. He sighed and turned his gaze back to the redhead. "Her rule was that you marry before you receive it." Silence followed after that. Everyone was quiet as they waited for the girl to say something but she didn't show any signs that she would respond. Kairi blinked repeatedly, slowly absorbing these new facts in her head and understanding them. She focused on her dad and gripped his hand firmly. "Is that it? I have to marry before I get the property? Well, that could wait a few years right…?"

Mr. Minami coughed again, looking at Mr. Hikari for assurance and the man gave him another firm nod. Another sigh followed suit. "Tha-That's the thing. We need your grandfather's property now."

The redheaded girl looked bewildered. "What! Why?"

"W-Well… your mother's condition isn't doing very well," his voice turning even more hopeless with every word. "She'll need multiple surgeries for the cancer to be fully removed from her body before she can get better. Surgeries costs a lot of money and insurance can't cover that much and-"

"So you're using me as a tool to pay for mom's surgeries!?" snapped Kairi, unexpected tears forming in her eyes. "Dad! This is my life we're talking about! I can't marry now! I'm still a student and I'm just adjusting to adulthood! I'm not ready to fall in love and have a husband just yet!"

"Kairi, wait, I'm not finished…"

"No dad! You listen! I don't care if I have to work double jobs if it's money you're worried about. We can loan from a bank, we can borrow from people, we can find another way! Please! Please don't tell me this is the only way!"

Mr. Minami looked down with a frown etched on his lips. "I-I'm sorry Kai. There isn't enough time. Believe me, if we did have time, I would work three jobs if it would mean avoiding this but we don't, Kairi. We don't… Your mother's getting worse day by day and-"

"I don't want to get married dad!" Kairi yelled, streams of tears pooling out of her eyes as she stood up, glaring at her father. "I can't believe you're willing to sacrifice my life for mom's! My _own_ father! You're supposed to help me through life but here you are throwing it away!"

"Kairi, please, listen-…"

"No, I don't want to listen anymore!" snapped Kairi and moved to storm out of the room when an arm blocked her exit. She turned to glare at the person with puffy red eyes and saw it was Sora who had a serious expression marring his face. "Oh for God's sake, suck it up!" Everyone gasped as to the brunette's actions and harsh words to the sobbing redhead but nothing could beat the surprised look that Kairi beheld.

"Wha-What did you _say_?"

"I said suck it up!" repeated Sora, lowering his arm from the door. "You act as though this marrying thing is the end of the world. You're really selfish, ya know that? Because you don't wanna marry because you're 'too young', your mother's life will slowly come to an end! Do you want that? Do you want your mother to die just because of your stupid _pride_!"

"Shut up! Shut up! You're not the one getting married so you just shove you comments back in your mouth and keep them there you jackass!"

Sora lowered his gaze and was silent for awhile before he let out a bitter chuckle. Kairi growled even more at that gesture. Here she was, crying her eyes out, and he found her rebellion humorous? _He's a jerk! A jackass! I hate him! I hate him! _Sora then raised his head and looked at Mr. Minami who was now letting a tear roll down his cheek, heartbroken to his daughter's wails. "As a matter of fact, I think I am…"

Kairi looked at him with confusion. "What?"

"I think I know why I'm here," Sora then went to Mr. Minami and sat in front of him. "You don't need a husband for Kairi do you? You just need someone to 'marry' her and pretend in front of a few people for awhile that they're married so that the court would pass the property to Kairi and then you can pay Mrs. Minami's surgeries…" His azure eyes then popped wide open as realiazation sunk into him. It was silence for awhile until the brunette spoke again. "Finding a guy that is willing to marry Kairi as an act would be _hard_… right?" Mr. Minami nodded solemnly and lowered his head in shame. Kairi turned to Sora and snapped, "Where are you going with this Sora?"

The brunette smirked sadly and leant his head to the wall. "Don't you see yet redhead? I'm the _one_."

Kairi's eyes snapped wide open. Her heart beat began to increase as she slowly put the pieces inside her head and solved the puzzle. A puzzle she wanted to destroy and burn with the flames of hell. Unkowingly, tears began streaming down again and she tried to hold them back but they wouldn't stop. "Y-You're ma-marrying m-me?" She hiccuped. Sora looked to his parents who were quiet and had the same expression as Mr. Minami. That confirmed everything.

"Guess so. You're not the only victim here, redhead, so stop woeing."

"How can you say that!?" yelled the redheaded girl, her whole body trembling. "We're _nineteen_ Sora! Nineteen year olds don't get married!"

Sora stood up and faced her. "They do if it's for the benefit of someone."

"So you're telling me you'd risk your freedom, your life for a woman who isn't bloodly related to you?"

"Just because Mrs. Minami isn't my actual mother doesn't mean she's not a mother to me!" argued Sora, his glare piercing through Kairi's sobbing body. "She treated me like I was her own son and I've always looked at her as a guardian, someone I can talk to if my own mother won't. I don't care if I have to marry a selfish person like you, just as long as Mrs. Minami stays alive and continues breathing. I'll do it, I won't hesitate."

Kairi slowly lowered her gaze from Sora's glare and washed her face of tears gently. She felt ashamed, ashamed that for a second there she had put herself before her mother and cared more about her own future rather than her mother's health. What kind of a daughter am I? She raised her gaze to Sora who looked more softer than he did a few seconds ago, he even looked a bit apologetic for being so harsh to her. She ignored him and went to her father who couldn't bear to look at her for feeling ashamed.

"K-Kairi, you don't have to agree to this," whispered Mr. Minami. "I-I'll find another way. I-"

"I-It's okay dad… I'll do it," she whispered back. "Sorry for being such a brat just now." She slowly hugged her father and began crying once more. "I-If Sora's ready to go with it… I am too." She felt her father's warm arms wrapping themselves around her trembling body. Mrs. Hikari went to hug her son, unable to hold her tears anymore. Sora merely smiled bitterly and hugged his mother back. He received a pat from his back from Mr. Hikari whom nodded at him with gratification.

As they each hugged their families, they slowly snuck a glance at each other. Each of their eyes sent a telepathic message to each other. It was a silent message just between them. A message saying how each were confused as to why they agreed to this, why couldn't there be another way and how were they going to go through this 'marriage' if they can't even stand five minutes next to each other? Kairi groaned inwardly. She had just signed a deal with the devil and she was going to pay for this soon.

_This is the worst day ever!_

* * *

**A/N 1**: Wow, it feels great to be writing again! This has to be my longest first chapter yet. I'm pretty proud of this. Anyway, this is a joint fic between me and one of my friends, Shasha, who doesn't have an ff account but it's alright. She told me to go ahead and post on my account first since it's like… dead. Sorry guys! Reason I've been missing is busy. That's all I have to say. Exams, family probs, friends, studying, school, all those have kept me occupied for a long time but now that my schedule has been calm lately, I thought I'd focus on writing again since I miss it so much!

And I deeply apologize to those people whom I owe a fic to. I don't think I'll be writing any oneshots in the nearest future but once I get into my writing muse, I'll be sure to write an awesome oneshot! Again, I'm so so so so so so so sorry!

Not to mention I see a lot of people moving from SoraKairi to other pairings (like SoraNamine. BLEUGH!) No offense to Namora fans but I find that pairing wrong in so many ways. Also, I don't like Naminé. I find her an even bigger Mary Sue than Kairi. Again, no offense to Namora or Naminé fans! So please, keep up the Kaiora love! SoraKairi is canon, nuff' said. (I'm being such a hypocrite considering I love Roxiri a lot too! XD)

Mostly conversations here but the plot will begin showing even more next chapter. I find writing lovate fics like suits me better than angst or anything like that. Haha! Guess I love Romedies (Romance + Comedy) more than other genres. I hope you guys like this because as soon as I get enough reviews, I'll post the second chapter which has been written already. XD This plot just wouldn't leave me alone! I had to write it!

I'm hesitating to continue Autumn's Sonata, not because I don't like it. It's just I lost intrest in it and many authors know what that feels like right? So, I might continue, I might not. I deeply apologize to fans of that story! Especially **weixuan18 **and **Sora177** since that story was dedicated to them. Consider this story dedicated to the both of you because this story is a definite continue. (I even have the ending bobbing in my brain already. XP)

**A/N 2**: This plot came from inspiration of many people and dramas but I have to say, the biggest influence is Princess Hours, the oh so famous korean drama. Me and Shasha got our inspiration from there so go support it by watching it! D (Shameless promotion)

Enjoy and don't forget to review, review, review if you want me to continue this story! If not, I might still continue it… -thinks- Just review! D

-angie-chan/Lily


	2. Do's & Don'ts

**_Perhaps Love?_**

**Sora** x _Kairi_

Chapter 2 : Do's & Don'ts

* * *

  
"You're WHAT!?"

At that precise moment, Kairi Minami regretted telling her friend the unbearable news she was carrying with her. She bowed down her head, allowing her auburn hair to shield her from the crowd's attention that was attracted just as soon as her friend let out a loud shrill response to her piece of information. The brunette girl was still looking at her with disbelief marked on her face – eyes bulging out along with a wide gaped mouth to match. Silence followed their group as Kairi felt a little like a suspect getting interrogated under that blinding flash light she usually sees in cop movies.

But this wasn't a movie. It was real life.

"Y-You're joking right?" whispered Selphie, realizing her latter outburst was a little uncalled for. "You're not actually getting married right?"

"O-Of course she is Selph! I mean, K-Kairi would know better than to do something so irresponsible and irrational like that, right Kairi?" Naminé questioned, her azure eyes boring through the redhead like an arrow hitting its bulls eye. Upon hearing her blond friend's words, she immediately felt frustrated. Naminé was right, Kairi was always the sensible one. Using her brain instead of instinct. Mind over Heart. It was not out of the ordinary for her two friends to not accept the news about her 'marriage' because if they knew her (which happened to be over nearly 15 years) she absolutely despised early marriage.

"It's so stupid, I mean, getting married at 20? Hello! Don't these women know how to independent? The world's changing. The _women_ should be wearing the pants now! I have promised myself that I won't get married until I have a successful career and my own belongings."

Those were the exact words she recited to her friends when they asked her opinion on married women but now she would have to put down her pride and do what she restrained herself from doing. _Ugh, life sucks! I bet you're having a hoot up there, God cause I'm not._ She lifted her gaze and was met with her friends expressions that beheld many different emotions – confusion, shock (that was a definite duh!), sadness and just plain taken aback by her 'joke'. It wasn't that Kairi was a humorless person that rarely told jokes, she just never made fun of her life in such a serious statement.

The redhead heaved a sigh and groaned. How was she supposed to tell them the truth?

'Guys, it's not like that! I'm doing this for my mother who happens to have cancer and need tons of surgeries, according to my dad whom I wish to murder right now, so I'm the only heir to my grandpa's property and he's filthy stinking rich so my dad thought hey! Why don't we use Kairi as a doll who has no life and won't object to whatever I say and put her together with a dude and make them pretend to be married because my oh so smart mother-in-law made an oh so smart rule that says Kairi has to get married first and let's put her with Sora instead of a random dude because he 'rocks' and isn't a complete bastard who smells and has a brain the size of a pea and this will totally ruin her life. YAY!'

_Pfft, how I wished life were that simple?_

"Kairi, answer me," grunted Selphie, growing impatient to Kairi's silence and oblivious to the redhead's inner thoughts. "What did you mean just now? Why did you suddenly say that?"

Kairi heaved a deep sigh, trying to think of sentences that would make her situation sound better than it actually is. "Umm… w-well, you see… I was desperate a-and my mom, she… oh she's… and then my dad, he wanted me t-to! He forced m-me! And then, that stupid jackass! He made it worse! And then, he did this and told my dad that! So I'm stuck in this mess and so I… yeah…"

Both Naminé and Selphie looked even more lost than they were a few seconds ago. They slowly turned their heads, looked at each other with worried glances then turned to their best friend who appeared to be _very_ insane and unstable at that moment. "Um, Kairi… I'm going to try and tell you this in a nice way okay?" said Selphie sweetly. Kairi nodded obediently.

"Me and Namié… CAN'T UNDERSTAND OR SPEAK ALIEN! Talk properly!" Naminé stifled a giggle to Selphie's remark along with seeing how Kairi flushed with embarrassment. The redhead sunk lower in her seat, wanting to just phase through the cafeteria floor and disappear to a world where nothing existed but her. She didn't want to do this. Getting married was far from her mind. She never even thought about it! (Except for the time she saw Axel shirtless and wondered what it would be like to share a family with him and how hot he'd look at their wedding wearing a dashing tuxedo and… yeah… )

"Guys… I'm in serious shit here…" whined Kairi, feeling even more depressed than ever.

"Kairi," cooed Naminé, holding her friend's hand and rubbing it soothingly. "Calm down and tell us slowly why're you acting so unlike you today? Did something happen between you and your dad?"

She nodded solemnly in response and gave a sad smile. "H-He wants me to do something… for my mom." Upon hearing the word 'mom', Selphie and Naminé gave a sympathetic look to their friend. They didn't know much about the guardian but they did know she had a disease and was currently inhabiting in a hospital. She had been like that for over nine years but Kairi was never one to show her weakness. She went through those years as though it were a breeze for her. The redhead didn't talk frequently about her mother's condition but once in awhile, when the pressure's building up and the walls around her heart crumbles, she breaks down to them and they are always there for her to help her build them up again.

"What? What does he want you to do?" asked an impatient Selphie, always one for gossip.

Kairi then groaned again and banging her head on the table multiple times after that. Naminé shook her head and patted her back gently – giving a message she was there for her friend. Selphie wrinkled her nose in annoyance and crossed her petite arms over her chest. "Geez Kai, you expect us to comfort you when you can't even say what the problem is? That's hard! At least give us a hint instead of acting so crazy!"

Kairi glared at her friend, feeling a little hurt to that comment. Was it really that out of character to feel upset about getting married at the age of nineteen and none the less to the worst guy on the planet? She wouldn't have minded that much if it was someone who had an outer appearance that wasn't a walking monster or a highly respectable man with absolutely good qualities such as perfect mannerism wherever he went and a sense of authority lingering him every second. Or someone who anyone could socialize with and knows the rules and regulations to charming a girl.

Like Axel Misaki. Now there was a guy she would've jumped with joy if she were marrying such a creation of perfection!

But no, the heavens wanted so much to see her suffer for their own amusement and matched her with the person who not only can burp the alphabet but also the same boy who lived to join the people above in laughing at her misery. _Why God? Why Sora? I wouldn't care if it was a freshman who has asthma problems or a sophomore who has pimples all over his face! But why him? WHY?_

As Kairi continued building castles in the sky and ignoring her friends glances as they tried to understand their redheaded companion's dilemma – they were failing terribly but nobody could really blame them - , the school bell rang and students began packing away their lunches, throwing away the rubbish and disposed of their finished meals into the metal bins situated in every corner of the rather spacious cafeteria. Naminé heaved a deep sigh before standing up with her tray of food and left an infuriated Selphie with a distant Kairi.

"Okay, Kai," muttered the brunette, crossing her arms in a childish manner. "I'll let you off the hook for now but don't think I won't come looking for you after school. Remember, I know your timetable!" and with that, Selphie stormed off – leaving a spaced out Kairi who only grumbled under her breath and slouched comfortably, feeling unenergized and out of breath ever since receiving those horrible words uttered by her so called father. She stood up grudgingly and wanted to make her way to class (even if she was depressed till her heart was in pieces, Kairi was never one to be late for a lesson – she is a perfectionist after all) but her actions were stopped by a hand covering her mouth and preventing her from reacting like how a kidnapped person would.

Her eyes bulged out with shock, her heart rate beating faster and faster with every step she was forcefully dragged to where it seemed to be directing to the rooftop of the school. Her screams were muffled by the person's hand (Judging by the hand size, it was a boy and he had nice smelling hands… mmm… Wait! WHAT?) and no matter how much she struggled and stepped on the guy's foot – to which he replied with gritted yelps of his own – she knew she wasn't going to escape that easily.

_Oh no! First my dad makes a match made from hell, then I find out my groom's a bloody freak who also happens to be my arch nemesis and now I'm getting kidnapped and I don't know what the hell this person's gonna do to me! What if he hurts me for his own revenge? What if he rapes me to satisfy his sexual craze? What if he steals all my munny in my pocket and goes off to buy drugs and murders an innocent old lady on the way? Or worst…! What if he's a teacher and he wants to… FAIL ME! NO! I don't deserve that! I'm a good student! I AM! SERIOUSLY! NOOOO!_

The sounds of a door being forcefully opened filled her ears and bright light blinded her eyes for a temporary moment as her captor pushed her forth which caused a few stumbles here and there before she could regain her balance as well as her eyesight. She caught her breath slowly _(Darn! The nice smell's gone!)_ and after a few seconds, glanced up to observe her surroundings to know where she was. She was right, it was the rooftop of the school. This was actually a restricted area for a few years ago, there was an unfortunate incident where a student had killed himself by jumping off this roof due to reasons unknown (and wouldn't liked to be known, thank you very much).

"Thanks for leaving a nice present on my hand, redhead… _Yuck_! Ditz germs!"

Kairi turned around with shock and sure enough, there was her future husband-to-be wiping his hand on his school blazer with a disgusted frown on his lips. The redhead growled immediately – all the anger, frustration and rage she felt that day finally erupted inside her like a volcano - and marched up to him, teeth grinding together and fingers clenched together into a tight fist, ready for action. Sora realized the girl storming up to him with an expression that screamed his death and before he could defend himself to his reasons on why he brought her here, her knuckles met his cheek and he was sent stumbling back – recoiling automatically from her blow which actually was quite strong.

"That's what you get for kidnapping me, jackass!"

Sora groaned with pain and dabbed his cheek softly, feeling the bruise coming. "What the hell! What was _that_ for?"

"What was _that_ for? You are as dumb as you look!" she yelled, still boiling with anger for a reason unknown to the brunette. "Why'd you bring me up here!? How dare you force me to skip class for you? How dare you!"

Even though his jaw was stinging and his cheek was throbbing, Sora had to laugh to her reaction. "I should've known a perfectionist such as yourself wouldn't know the beauty of truancy."

"And of course, you're the guru of it, aren't you?" Kairi scoffed, rolling her eyes and placing her hands on her hips in a bossy manner. "Now stop wasting my time and give me an _acceptable_ reason, at least, why you brought me here? I doubt it's for a cup of tea, right?"

"Tea? With you?" said Sora in a humorous tone. "It's like asking for a death match with a grizzly or something. Worse than that!" The boy burst into laughter, his chuckles filling the empty void around them. The soft sun's rays lit from the sky and shone down on them along with a melody of wind to help cool down the heat shimmering around – but not enough to cool the hotheaded girl who was fuming with rage. Sora finally regained his composure and noticed the serious and deathly expression on her face so he went into serious mode.

"Look, I wanted to talk to you about the… ma-… ma-… m-ma…" He stuck out his tongue out then back in , smacking his lips as though preparing to say the most repulsive words in the world (To him, it probably was). "Marriage. I-I feel like I should explain why I agreed clearly so… ya know… we're clear and all that…"

"I think you made it perfectly obvious when you insulted me in front of not only your parents but also my dad!" Kairi yelled, fist formed once more. "Had your little glory moment there, didn't cha? Felt great to step on me and make me feel like the useless daughter there right? HUH!?"

Sora bit his lip and restrained himself from hitting this girl. _Calm down, she's just an airhead… she's just an airhead… yeah, you're the man… she's just an airhead…_ He glanced back to her and showed how serious he was being. "The past's the past. I wanna talk about the future. I agreed only for one reason and _one_ reason only and that's Mrs. Minami's health. I always wondered how a sweet woman like Mrs. Minami could've gotten a daughter like you. It really amazes me at how different you guys are."

Kairi was a little taken aback by his comment and lowered her glare, feeling a little ashamed as the memory of yesterday's event replayed in her mind. She had been rather selfish, thinking of her own future when her mother's was hanging on a thread. Her mother, although has shown the redhead countless of times how much she has achieved in life, has always been an idol to her, always showing her what to do and what to say to succeed in life. How she missed the usual naggings her guardian once gave her whenever she made a mistake whether it were accidental or on purpose.

After all the sacrifications her parents went through to ensure her a bright future in enrolling her at Twilight Academy, she couldn't even do this favor that seemed minimal to all the hard work and effort her mother poured on her. Kairi shut her eyes, feeling the remorse bubbling up in her. At that point, she realized her purpose on wanting to refuse the marriage between her and Sora. It wasn't because of the 'groom to be' and the bitter rivalry between them, it was more on the side of Kairi being rebellious and not give her mother something she wanted. The redhead now felt ten time worse.

"Yo, redhead, are you listening?" Sora's voice droned.

Kairi snapped from her gaze and matched Sora's weakening glare with a serious expression of her own, placing her fists on her tilted hips. "Okay, you wanted to talk about the marriage right? Well, here's my opinion on it. It is strictly business. I am doing this for my mother and my mother alone. And you also have to know that I am forced to do this, out of my own free will partly and I will not enjoy it one bit."

"Pfft, at least we have _that _in common."

She rolled her eyes and walked away, heading towards the steel door to make a drastic exit. Her hands grip the handle and she was about to pull it when she turned around to give her last word. "Even if I'm regretting this whole marrying you thing, the thought that you're suffering as well sorta gives me a relief," She then paused mid-sentence and looked down solemnly. "And as much as I don't want to say this, I-I… thank you… f-for caring for my mother enough to go through this… she'll appreciate it very much."

Sora bit his lip and sighed inwardly, feeling a little proud of getting a word of gratitude out of the redhead's mouth. But she was right on the part where he was suffering as well. _Why can't I overcome the obstacles normal nineteen year old's do? Like how to attract girls, homework, passing finals, being a living legend before high school ends. God, how I wish life was that simple._ He heaved another sigh before looking at Kairi. "Don't have to thank me. You can kiss my feet when Mrs. Sodanomi's cured." Kairi took his answer as a 'you're welcome' and exited the rooftop. After making sure she was a good distance away from the brunette, she huffed to herself and placed her face in the palms of her hands. She just needed to be alone then, to clear her mind. No responsibilities, no sick mother, no marriage, no Sora…

"Kairi? That you?"

It was as though the heavens answered her cry of help as they sent her an angel. An angel carved to perfection by the hands of God. She slowly raised her head and was again, face to face with the only boy who could make her weak with just a look. "A-Axel…"

Said redhead smirked and hung his gym bag loosely over his shoulders as he gave her a casual wave. "You look kinda disturbed by something. Something wrong?"

_Aww, he's worried about me! Kyaa!_ Her inner soul was practically leaping with joy as she relieved the moment she was currently sharing with the boy of her fantasies. Her eyes were only focused on him, absorbing every single detail she could. His spiky flaming hair, the unique tattoos under his eyes, his lean yet muscular body and of course, those sparkling jades of emerald that were twinkling right at her. Just looking into the depths of those eyes, she could forget her reality and fall into a sea of dreams – floating endlessly with him by her side.

"Kairi? You okay?"

Said redhead blinked abruptly before sending a dazed expression as an answer to his question. "… Huh…?"

"I asked if you were okay? You look sorta… distracted?"

Upon hearing those words, Kairi immediately mentally slapped herself awake before she looked even more foolish in front of her target of admiration. A fake cough escaped her lips as she busied herself by toying with her fingers – her nails looked oddly interesting at that time. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine… s-sorry for spacing out," She gently bit her lip, her eyes searching frantically for anything else besides the smothering stare Axel was giving. "I guess I'm just facing a really tough dilemma right now."

Nothing was said after that, the hallways filled with eerie silence as the only faint noises were their soft breaths which were barely audible. Kairi gulped, feeling the tension around them building fast. _Stupid! Why can't you just keep your problems to yourself? Axel's probably thinking I'm a big whiner who can't face a few challenges by herself! Ugh! _Before the redheaded girl could choke out an excuse to leave before she turned into a court's jester in front of him, a warm and inviting hand landed gently on the crown of her head in a comforting manner. Kairi raised her head and was met with a charming smirk from the boy in front of her.

"It must be quite a big dilemma then, considering you can't even focus properly," _Great, Kairi! Just grand! It's official. I'm an idiot. An idiot who stupidly embarrassed herself in front of the most amazing guy she's ever met. Fantastic!_ "But you know what usually helps when you're feeling down?" Her eyebrows raised in a questioning manner as Axel merely continued flashing his trademark smirk before rummaging through his pockets with his free hand, his other one still comfortably resting itself on her head, and finally, he fished out the item he was looking for.

"Ta da!" He exclaimed, swaying his closed fist in front of her confused face. Kairi merely looked at him with bewildered eyes but before she could ask what he was doing, he took his hand away from her bed of hair – Kairi groaned inwardly at the loss of warmth already – and grabbed her own palm, stuffing whatever mysterious object he held in his grip earlier to her possession. The redheaded girl slowly drew her fingers until Axel's gift was revealed.

"A… lollipop?" Her voice fully embedded with utter confusion. Did _he give me the right thing? Or did he want to give me something else? What's going on?_ Axel laughed, finding her reaction fairly entertaining and stuffed his hands inside his slack's pockets. "What? Did you expect a cigarette or something?"

Kairi sputtered a few incomprehensible words, her cheeks stained profusely with various shades of scarlet. "O-Of course not! I-I just wasn't expecting a l-lollipop, that's all!" _You're just not having a nice day, are ya!?_ Another chuckle from the redheaded boy, his laughter echoing throughout the deserted corridors of the school. Kairi bit her lip harder, somehow feeling as though he was laughing at her naivety since she had no idea what was so humorous on her state of loss at that time. Axel finally halted his laughing fit and took the hand which held the piece of candy into his grip. Not only was Kairi surprised at his abrupt contact, the suddenness nearly caused her to pass out. _Oh… my… God! Axel's holding my hand! He's actually _willingly_ holding it! Selphie would SO freak! _

"A lollipop is the best thing to have when you're feeling sad or confused or any kind of depressing emotions," Axel explained, his hands seemingly huge compared to her dainty ones. "They last longer than most candies so you can take your time enjoying it while sorting out your feelings. And by the time you reach the sweet part in the middle, you'll notice that you have most of your problems sorted and you'll feel better when that sweetness melts in your mouth."

Kairi couldn't help but smile sweetly at his silly solution but she reluctantly pulled her hand away from his grasp – gently in doing so as to not make him misunderstand anything – so she could gaze admiringly at the treat. "Does it really work?" she asked softly, the grin still plastered on her lips. Axel nodded firmly, responding to her grin with his usual smirk. "Hey, it works for me. Why wouldn't it work for you?" The redheaded girl giggled, her fingers tightening around the lollipop. She glanced into his mesmerizing eyes and her grin grew even wider – her lips barely able to contain her pearly teeth.

"Thank you, Axel. … T-This is very thoughtful of you."

"No prob! Oh, and if the lollipop thing doesn't work…," At this, he rubbed the back of head repeatedly, a slight tinge of red crawling shyly across his cheeks. Kairi, of course, took note of this. _He's… B-BLUSHING? Score!_ "I have another solution, another way to help forget your problems. And no, it does not involve any form of alcohol, intercourse or drugs." Kairi smiled in response and looked tentatively at the simple candy, wrapped firmly with a bright and multiple colored paper adorning every inch. With just a simple gesture as giving her a plain sweet, she felt as if Axel had solved all her problems. There was no such thing as her getting married, no such thing as facing with an ill mother, no such thing as standing with that idiotic brunette's attitude…

"Whoa! I… didn't realize the time!" Axel grinned cheekily, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "I'm gonna be late for class! I'll… see ya later?"

Kairi gasped, realizing she was currently missing her lessons as well. She nodded and uttered another quick word of gratitude before cursing herself for her lack of focus and sprinting off to the direction of her class. Axel watched with amusement as the redheaded girl stumbled a little during her running, hearing her spout a few colorful words here and there. He grinned to himself, reminding himself to buy an extra lollipop from then on.

Who knows, he could share it with a cute girl again.

* * *

  
As soon as the bell signaling the end of school for the day rang, Kairi quickly dashed to her locker – randomly grabbing stuff without knowing what she's going to do with it later – and ran to the other end of the corridor. She was forced to use the opposite exit instead of the usual one since she had a hunch a certain impatient brunette girl was there, awaiting her presence so a series of interrogation could occur. Kairi huffed. Sometimes it wasn't really helpful to have such caring yet hard-headed friends. Her bag pack dangled loosely on her arm, her tie flinging backwards as she ran as fast as she could, praying Selphie didn't figure out her plan to escape her bombarding questions and stopping her from the comfort of her safe and Selphie-free home.

The gentle wind caressed her cheek as she slowed her pace to a jogging rate. The neighborhood was surprisingly quiet that day, Kairi hoped it wasn't an omen to anything horrible that could happen to her. Discarding the silly thoughts that plagued her mind, she continued jogging to her sidewalk and soon enough, she was reaching her house. _Phew, and no sign of Selphie or Naminé anywhere…_ The redhead opened her front door and skipped happily inside, the light weight of the lollipop bobbing inside her blazer's pocket. She couldn't wait to savor it's taste but she made a promise to herself – she'd test Axel's theory when she _really _needed to. When she felt her world could crumble at any second, she would take the sweet snack out and devour it. For now, it'll be very comfortable inside her music box on her dresser.

"Daddy, I'm home!" She called out, slipping off her shoes before she made her way into the kitchen. It was empty, to Kairi's surprise. Usually her father would either be in the kitchen when she returned – eating one of her baking goods or anything else that existed in the pantry – or in the living room – lazily watching television or slouching across the couch with a newspaper in hand. She popped her head into said room but again, was met with nothing except the furniture. Kairi sighed inwardly. She found it a nagging nuisance when her father didn't leave any information whatsoever if he went out. Kairi had unfortunately picked up her mother's habit of always knowing where people are. It was a big flaw actually. Being too clingy was never good.

She was just about to grab the telephone on the kitchen wall when it rang, startling the poor redhead a little. "Hello?"

"Kairi-bunny, glad you're back! Sora just got back too," came her father's so called jolly voice.

"Dad? Where are you? And I have no interest in knowing if that jerkface returned safely or not so don't bother telling me."

"Oh, well, I'll be sure to remember that in the future and don't call your fiancé that, Kairi. It's not polite."

"Yeah redhead! Listen to your dad!" cooed Sora who sounded far off yet still audible. Kairi rolled her azure eyes.

"Whatever. Wait, what's Sora doing with you, dad?"

"Oh, I'm actually at the Hikari's home right now. That's why I called. Come here as soon as you can. We still have some matters to discuss about this whole will thing."

Kairi groaned and propped her head with her hand. "Dad," she whined, her mind only wanting to rest and actually finish the assignments she still had. "Can we do that another time? I have a lot of homework and I seriously am not in the mood to talk about that stupid will."

A soft sigh came as a response. "I know this is tough for you, honey, but this is really important. … I-I… I went to see your mother just now…" Upon hearing the word 'mother', Kairi immediately blanched out other thoughts and only matters concerning her mother floated in her conscious. "… H-How is she?"

"… S-She's alright. Her appetite's starting to return but… ," A pregnant pause came after those words and Kairi could faintly catch the strain tone her father was beginning to have. She sighed, feeling tired and helpless instantly.

"Alright… I'll be there. Just give me five minutes to change."

"Thanks Kairi… I'm sorry for doing this to you… I really am…"

A frown was itching to draw itself across her lips but a sad smile replaced it instead. "I know, dad… I know," and with that said, she hung up and drew out a harsh breath. She wasn't lying, she did know how guilty her father felt but when she imagined herself in his shoes, she understood his reasons. Her mother was his world. He had no family, born an orphan, and had always learned to be independent. Until he met her of course. Her mother was the only one who had been there for him when he having rough times. She was the pillar to his crumbling life. His own angel. Her father always told Kairi she had her mother's charm and beauty because whenever he looked at her, he was instantly reminded on why he fell in love with her mother and how it'll never stop.

Shutting her eyelids and wishing to God that this was all a horrendous dream, that her mother wasn't suffering from cancer, that she didn't have to throw her youth away by marrying someone she wished she could burn to the ground, that she didn't have to be burdened with sacrificing everything for her family. But God was challenging her. God was testing her, testing how far she'll go and how she'll overcome them. And Kairi was determined to take this challenge and prove to Him she could be as tough as she could. She'll get through this and a smile will be on her face always – even if she had to fake it at times.

Four minutes and forty-five seconds later, she was walking up the Hikari's driveway and rang their doorbell. A good three seconds later, the door opened and a beaming Olette was there to greet her. "Kairi, you're here!" and before the redhead could reply the greeting, she was enveloped in a hug from the brunette. Kairi couldn't think of anything else to do except wrap her own arms around the girl's body. Olette had always been like a sister to her so she felt as though her scrambled thoughts could be understood completely by her.

"O-Olette! What're you doing here? I thought you were having your Dawn entrance exam now."

Olette broke the hug and grinned brightly at her. "I just finished it actually. The results won't be out until a few weeks so I'm free till then. Sorry I couldn't be here for you sooner. I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, Kairi…" _Ah, so she knows about this whole drama… well, duh! She's living with the other half of the deal._ "Well, let's not waste anymore time. Come in." Kairi followed Olette inside and both went into a room where everyone was settled in. At the rectangular table, Mr. Hikari sat at the one end of the table, at his side. An empty chair was beside her – Kairi guessed it was Olette's – and on Mr. Hikari's other side was the devil himself. Sora gave one glance at her and rolled his eyes before staring absent-mindedly at the table.

"Kairi, you're here!" exclaimed her father who was at the other end of the table. Olette hurried over to her seat beside her mother while Kairi was unfortunately forced to sit beside Sora and fortunately, her father. She grumbled as she sat down, eyeing the brunette boy at the corner of her eye – hoping her silent glare would somehow slice his body in half. If said boy noticed it, he was doing a good job in ignoring it as he continued staring at anything else but her. Mr. Hikari cleared his throat as he handed Kairi and Sora pieces of paper that were stuck with a paper clip. Kairi raised an eyebrow when she read the front page.

" … Mr. Hikari… what is this?"

"It's a contract, detailing everything you have to agree and what to do as well as what not to do during your course of marriage, before and after."

Kairi continued appearing confused but Sora was already flipping the pages aimlessly, his expression showing no similarity with the girl beside him. She found this annoying on how he could accept this so easily. _That jerkface! Doesn't he get the fact that his future's gonna get ruined if he agrees with this!? And he can still stay so calm? Ooo, I'd like to stuff this contract down his mouth and-_

"Okay," interrupted her father, having his own copy of the contract. "Let's see the main rules."

Everyone who owned a copy flipped to the first page and on it were five bolded rules.

"Okay, first rule, the wedding will be plain and simple. No extravagant parties whatsoever. Only family and trusted friends allowed." Kairi's eyes widened at this as she faced her father. "WEDDING? What wedding!?"

"Why, the wedding between you and Sora of course dear," replied Mrs. Hikari with no sign of resentment or objection embedded in her voice. Kairi was taken aback by her words as clearly shown by her distorted look. " … W-Wedding? I-Is that really necessary? I mean, couldn't we just sign papers or something?"

"I'm sorry, Kairi, but the only way your grandmother's lawyer will approve of the will is if he sees with his own eyes your wedding. Unfortunately, it was one of your grandmother's conditions. A wedding has to be done," was her father's answer. Kairi frowned immediately, feeling sick to her stomach. The fact that she had to marry Sora was already a punch in her gut but a wedding with him? That was the icing on the cake. Sora saw her frustrated expression and felt slightly insulted. _What's wrong with a wedding? Don't girls usually like weddings? Geez, what's with her anyway? I should be the one with the annoyed look! I'm a victim here too! God… _

"Alright, rule number two, no boundaries to sexual connection involved. Couple may do as pleased," continued Mr. Sodanomi, feeling uneasy after saying said rule. At hearing it, Sora and Kairi immediately turned scarlet as both squirmed uneasily in their seat. "Umm… d-dad, c-could we change that r-rule?" squeaked Sora, wishing he could grab a bucket of water and dump it on his head because for an unknown reason, his body turned unreasonably hot. He wasn't alone though, Kairi felt the same way. "Y-Yeah… c-could we?" encouraged the redhead.

Mr. Hikari laughed a little at this. "Why? I don't think this is going to be a problem. Seeing as how both of you can't even stand each other, I see no trouble. This is just a silly rule, I'm sure both of you can accept this since you're not going to be doing any sexual contact whatsoever. _Right_, Sora?" At this, Sora felt a silent glare coming from his father. One that rang 'If you start any sexual contact with Kairi, I'm poking a harpoon through your body and running you over with my car'. The brunette gulped and nodded obediently – imagining the horrifying consequences he had to face if he didn't. Kairi still felt flustered so she changed the topic quickly. "Okay! Next rule dad?"

"Right, third rule, the couple will have to inhabit a household provided in the will by the Madame herself after they are married." Again, right after the rule was stated, Kairi jumped in defense. "WHAT!? No! No friggin way! I am NOT staying with jerkface over here! Never!" Sora followed as well. "Well, does it look like I want to live with you too, redhead!? I am not moving in with her! It's bad enough I have to marry her but I have to live with her now!?"

"Quiet!" boomed Mr. Hikari's voice, his expression reflecting his rage. "If the will states you have to do this, then you have to do it. If you want the will to be approved, both of you will have to make some sacrifications. Understood?"

Kairi was about to retort something before Sora kicked her softly with his foot – a sign telling her not to make anymore protests. Kairi decided to oblige, Sora obviously knew his father's behavior better than her. The redhead pouted and was tempted to run out of the house and into her warm room where she could feel the safest. Right now, her whole future was falling right in front of her eyes. She was going to have to endure so many hardships but somehow, she felt pushed to do so. The sight of her mother, paling away on a hospital bed, pushed itself in her mind and the adrenaline to save her pumped through her veins.

"Alright… what's next?" asked the redhead solemnly, afraid of what else her grandmother had wished for her. Mr. Sodanomi saw his daughter's tired state so he decided to just finish this as fast as he could. "Rule number four, the marriage has to last at least a year. If not fulfilled, the fortune will be pulled back and everything will be taken away. Any damage to the fortune will have to be repaid." Kairi bit her lip. She knew this would happen. She knew that the marriage wouldn't just be a few months. A whole _year_? How was she supposed to focus on her final year in high school if she was going to be Mrs. Sora? _Ugh, what a horrible name! If they started addressing me like that, I'll shoot myself with no regret. Mrs. Sora. Pfft! _

"Final rule, the Madame's attorneys are to attend the household every month to ensure that the married couple have no difficulties whatsoever or any discomfort at all. If seen, the fortune will be pulled back and everything will be taken. No exceptions." Mr. Sodanomi sighed at this. Kairi and Sora would have to be at their best behavior if they're going to make that rule work. That was going to be the real challenge. Sora grunted at this, glaring at the annoyed girl by his side. Kairi returned his glare and both stubbornly crossed their arms in a similar manner. Both knew that this was going to be a hard obstacle to overcome but if they were going to beat it, they would have to do it together.

Still, that didn't have to mean they could just stop hating each other. No. That hatred was still burning within them and some stupid marriage wasn't going to wash it away.

"Okay, so, if both of you are clear on the rules, we have to decide on a suitable wedding date," said Mrs. Hikari, feeling a little excited on planning her son's wedding. Although it was unexpected, she still wanted it to be perfect because even if it was for Kairi's mother, that didn't mean the wedding would have to be boring and sloppy. No, would ensure it was a perfect wedding. No matter what. Olette suddenly clapped with delight. "Oo! I have a perfect date! How about the end of this month?"

Kairi raised an eyebrow at this. "Why is it a perfect date Olette? Because we're having our term break?"

Olette giggled, covering her sly smile. "No, silly! It's cause Sora's birthday is around there too. Why not celebrate your marriage along with your birthday, Sora?"

The younger brunette looked at his sister with disbelief and quickly shook in disapproval. "No way! Nu-uh! I'm not ruining my birthday with this stupid wedding! There's no way!" Mrs. Hikari found her daughter's idea a brilliant scheme so she gave a solid look to Sora. "Sora, I think it's a wonderful idea. You get a wife on your birthday. Isn't that a nice present?"

Kairi felt a little insulted at being called a present so she wanted to interject but Sora beat her. "What!? Mom, no! I wouldn't mind if it was a hot wife but this is _Kairi_ we're talking about! No way am I marrying her on my birthday! What a waste of a day to celebrate the day I was born!"

"How dare you! I'm the one that's forced to marry someone who thinks snorting coke out of his nose is cool!" exclaimed Kairi, feeling smug with seeing Sora's alarmed expression.

"Well, don't make it sound like you're the only one who has to suffer! I'm the one that's gonna be forced to wake up knowing the fact that I'm stuck with an airhead like you!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know that I was an airhead. If I'm an airhead, then you must be the stupidest being alive!"

"Wow, congratulations, you managed to say something spiteful in this boring life of yours!"

"Whoa, I didn't even know you knew the word 'boring'. Your vocabulary range must be getting wider. Next thing you know, you're gonna be using big words like 'please' and 'thank you' since you obviously don't know these words!"

"Enough!" hollered , finding their bickering driving him nuts. He pitied the neighbors these two were going to have when they moved in together. He prayed that their household was in a secluded area where the neighbors were a few kilometers away. At least they would be safe from the arguments these two will be having constantly. Kairi stuck her nose up in the air and ignored the irritated brunette beside her. Sora did the same. Olette and the other adults looked between the supposedly engaged couple and shook their heads. They just hoped that this 'marriage' could even last a year.

The marriage hasn't even begun but it was already getting a rough beginning.

* * *

A/N 1: Whoa, sorry for this late update. This year's been pretty busy for me and I barely have enough time to continue updating. I'm gonna be serious and tell you right now that updates will be slow but if I keep them at a steady pace, I'll probably be able to have a chapter per month. Only one chapter per month though. Since next year's a serious year for me as it is my final year of school. Plus, a big exam awaits me and I have to give it my full attention. So, again, sorry for this but updates will be slow but I'll try and post one chapter a month.

A/N 2: Thanks to my reviewers - lamatikah, Krystal Lily Potter, Sora177, FlowerLady-Aerith, weixuan18, Argus456, Alethia of Twilight, KHKairiNamineFanatic, Sora'sDawningTwilight, Resmerize, Russ Dog, renegade of illumination, , Ellie0223 and SoraxKairi7! Whoa, I didn't expect to get so much feedback! Thanks guys! Hope you stick with this story till the end! -grins-

A/N 3: I'm going to be writing a Christmas fic! It'll be the last thing I'm posting for this year. I'm debating on whether to write a Kingdom Hearts one or a Naruto one since I'm in a Naruto craze. Hmm.. if you guys have opinions, feel free to tell me! ^^

Enjoy this chap and please review! Reviews make me happy!

- _angelofsweetness_


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